Ohio State VP for Student Life Pleads with Student Body to Respect Health Protocols
There is common consensus across the NCAA that it's impractical, perhaps even irresponsible, to pursue playing college athletics in the fall if the general student population isn't on campus for in-person classes. The last 24 hours in particular have not been kind to the prospect of playing football this fall, with the Ivy League canceling all sports prior to January 1, 2021 and with the Buckeyes announcing yesterday that all voluntary workouts have been suspended after the latest round of coronavirus test results.
Meanwhile, Ohio State Vice President for Student Life Dr. Melissa Shivers posted a video pleading with students to adhere to the appropriate health protocols.
Her message is pretty clear - there is serious concern about not having the student body return to campus for the fall semester. It's difficult to convince 18-21 year old's that feel invincible and not at risk of contracting the virus. Whether its out of rebellion, apathy or ignorance, college-aged people need to more mindful of the current health crisis if they want life to return to "normal" any time soon.
Of course, earlier today, the Big Ten took a massive step by removing all non-conference games from the fall sports schedule. But they didn't remove the possibility of starting the season at the beginning of the academic calendar. Each of the fall sports will likely completely overhaul their schedules and its possible they could build in more days off between games.
For the last several months, college football's biggest ally in the fight against the pandemic was time. The virus forced March Madness and all spring sports cancellations a few months ago in the heart of the college football off-season. But time is quickly becoming an adversary.
For teams whose seasons begin on September 5, the NCAA Division I Council approved this coming Monday (July 13) as the first day for mandatory workouts. While the Ohio State Athletic Department hasn't come out and said that won't happen any longer, it stands to reason that yesterday's news means that mandatory workout period will be delayed - especially considering Thursday's Big Ten news.
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